Writers And Social Media: “Do I Have To?”

A writer I am working with expressed to me how they don’t enjoy meeting other people, and think social media is a waste of time. So they asked “how little engagement on Facebook and Twitter is good enough to get me a book deal?”

My answer, explained in the video above, is that they need to rethink their goals, and the story they tell themselves about social media.

Thanks.
-Dan

Why I Am Vlogging

Two weeks ago I began vlogging. What is a vlog? They are video blogs: short video updates on a topic, just as you would expect from a text blog.

I have considered doing this for a long time, and have been obsessed with YouTube for awhile now. I spend my days talking to writers and publishers, and I found that there were lots of little insights being shared in these conversations – nuggets that kept rattling around in my brain. Sure, maybe some of them will eventually come out in a blog post, but too many of them are lost as I move on to the next thing in my day. So I figured that quick vlogs would be a great way to capture and share these insights.

What held me back? It wasn’t technology, the tech is easy. It was the human stuff, things I had to “get over,” including:

  • Background: my home office is rather small, and it contains my LEGO collection. What? That’s right, I have always had an affinity for LEGO. You can imagine that when I first met my wife and found out that she graduated college with a degree in toy design, it was a match made in heaven.

    But still, I was concerned that having toys in the background would seem unprofessional, or would be “off brand,” for what I was creating with We Grow Media.

  • What I am wearing: I do not wake up everyday and iron my shirts. Maybe this is because I work from home. When I speak at events or meet with publishers, I wear a suit jacket and nice collared shirt. So there was concern that rumpled plaid shirts would make me seem unprofessional.
  • Hair and beard: Some days are just bad hair days. Some days I should trim up the stubble, but opt for other things. Do you know people who HATE having their photos taken? I am not one of those people, but like anyone, I can be self-critical about what is a good hair day, and what is a bad hair day. Truth be told, at 39, I am just thankful to have hair! 🙂

In the end, I just went for it, putting aside all of these little qualms that seemed important to no one but me. The reaction so far has been positive. The very things I was worried about are exactly the things people seem to appreciate – the unfiltered down to earth conversation that a vlog is meant to embody.

I will be sharing vlog updates nearly every day, sometimes twice a day. Please subscribe to me on YouTube if you have an account there. I will be cross posting many of the vlog updates here on this blog as well.

Here are some recent vlog updates to give you a sense of them:

When Everyone Has A Platform, Your Job Is To Create Meaning

With Greater Choice, You Have To Focus On High Quality

Why I Share My Cell Phone Number On My Website

Thanks!
-Dan

Why Writers Should Engage in Social Media and Blogging

Is buying your book the END of a reader’s relationship with you and the topic/story you write about, or just the beginning. Today, I explore the important ways that blogging or engaging in social media helps authors not only grow their audience, but increase the likelihood of your existing audience to read your book and purchase your next book.

Thanks!
-Dan